


when autumn leaves start to fall

by moaningmyrtle



Category: How to Get Away with Murder
Genre: Autumn, M/M, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-13
Updated: 2015-10-13
Packaged: 2018-04-26 04:38:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,337
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4990525
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moaningmyrtle/pseuds/moaningmyrtle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>‘i got caught staring at my adult neighbour raking up a bunch of leaves in their backyard and jumping into them and now have to awkwardly pretend i saw nothing’ au</p>
            </blockquote>





	when autumn leaves start to fall

**Author's Note:**

> seasonal fic because we all love autumn fluff, amirite??

Weekends didn't seem to exist anymore- _had they ever?_

 

It was as if Monday to Friday had passed over and over, and at one point, those two days in-between disappeared and had left Connor with little to no time at home. If this was what being a lawyer was always going to be like, he was sure that he'd have to give up completely on yard work, cleaning the house, and eating anything that didn't come from a take-out container or out of the microwave. The lawn, front and back, was completely layered in fallen leaves; yellow, red, orange decorated the  barely-there grass, and though he hadn't had the time to do a thing about it, at least it looked festive.

 

Staring out the window, a warm mug wrapped between his palms, he peered out onto the street and wondered how in the hell he'd been living here for six months; the neighbors had barely seen his face, other than when he'd often hurry out to his car at around 6:07 AM, only to return home after everyone was already tucked under sheets. It was a little frustrating that he'd even bothered moving out of the apartment in the first place- caring for an entire lawn was only serving to be yet another chore he could inevitably avoid, and the bills had nearly doubled.

 

Now that he did have the day off, twenty four desperately-needed and uninterrupted hours, Connor wanted to do anything but work. Raking the lawn- that counted as a job, and as he glared at the leaves and willed them to clean themselves up, it was becoming obvious that there was simply no escaping it.

 

A shed had been built in the backyard years before he'd moved in, no longer fitting the modern-style of the house and sitting completely empty and unused now. Half a year and he still hadn't bought more than a shovel, and that had only been for the purpose of scaring the raccoons away at night- he'd never had to deal with that problem when he'd lived six stories up and stared out at the city.

 

Bundled in an oversized knit sweater and his coffee in a travel mug, he shoved his feet into poorly laced boots and pushed open the back door. The breeze was cool but there was rays of sun shining through the grey clouds, warming his skin as he stepped out onto the leaf-covered patio and frowned- this wasn't what he'd signed up for when he'd asked for a Saturday off.

 

There was a fence that surrounded his lawn, only reaching as high as chest level and built from older wooden planks, and Connor sighed, preparing for the inevitable- he'd have to talk to his neighbors if he wanted the privilege of borrowing their yard tools.

 

The grass was overgrown, as it had been for weeks; he wasn't about to go out and buy his own personal lawn mower and the teen that he'd hired a week or two after he'd unpacked had gone off to college. Peeking over the fence for a willing and nearby resident, it was a blessing that Connor had quickly caught sight of the man next door with a rake between his mitted hands, combing leaves into a mass that he could only assume had taken him hours to form.

 

For a moment that probably lasted too long, Connor didn't say a thing; instead, he lingered a few feet away from the fence and watched. The man who he'd only ever seen in passing seemed totally content with the fact that half a tree had scattered itself across his backyard. With a kick in his step, he pulled all the leaves into the same growing lump that seemed irrationally large to Connor- although, he wasn't one to judge.

 

As he set the rake down against the back of the house, the time seemed perfect to shout out and ask for a temporary loan, but for a reason Connor couldn’t pinpoint, he instead took a step back as his gaze lingered on. For a second, the stranger stood still in the centre of the yard, looking over his shoulders as if he were about to do something morally wrong.

 

Forgetting to glance over into the backyard that was constantly unused and deserted, the neighbor readied himself for something that he'd yet to understand. With no warning, he tore into a sprint across the lawn, seemingly running towards nothing until his feet left the ground and he disappeared into what was previously a neat pile. Connor watched with his jaw open and wide eyes as leaves splashed up and spread back across his lawn as if he'd jumped into a swimming pool.

 

It was a second after the man began to climb out from the mess he'd made, a brilliant smile tugging across wind-bitten skin, that Connor's presence finally caught his attention; the grin fell immediately from his face as he stood up, all too shocked to even brush off the twigs that currently stuck to his sweater.

 

"Um," Connor lifted his hand to the back of his neck, threading his fingers through his hair as he failed to hide the way his lips began to curl up on one side; speechless and bemused, they shared a silent stare as the neighbors cheeks warmed with a blush. A few seconds passed before a small laugh broke the silence and he called out over the fence, "I can pretend I didn't see that if you let me borrow your rake?"

 

At last, the man seemed to shake himself from a tongue-tied stupor and knocked the leaves from his clothes, reaching down to pick up the glasses that had fallen off during the hurdle, "Let's be honest, I don't think there's any way you're forgetting what just happened here."

 

"I won't," Connor teased and wandered over to the edge of the fence, trying to consider how many times he'd paid witness to a grown man, startlingly handsome  and seemingly successful, leap into a leaf pile as if he were four years old and unwatched by his parents; unsurprisingly, the tally rested at one, "I'm Connor, so if you'd thought this house was abandoned- well, actually, you'd sort of be right."

 

The man let slip a nervous laugh and wiped the blurry lens of his glasses with his sleeve, squinting as if he were trying to see Connor just a little bit better, "I, uh, I'm Oliver."

 

"Tell you what Oliver," Connor grinned light heartedly as he leaned over the fence, steadying himself on the boards, "I'll help you clean that up, if you let me mooch the rake off you for an hour or two. Unless you were thinking about throwing yourself into the pile again, in which case, give me a second while I grab my camera."

 

The lawn was in mayhem again, and Oliver stared down at it, still slightly embarrassed as he surveyed the wreckage and shook his head, "No, no, it's fine-"

 

"I've got coffee," Connor added, gesturing to his mug and nodding to the house, "Full pot, still warm."

 

"No seriously, let me just clean this up and I'll-"

 

Before the neighbor could protest any further, Connor set his coffee down on the nearest post, reached down to tuck his laces into his socks, and grabbed a hold of the fence. With a kick up from the ground, he lifted himself over the barrier, catching Oliver off guard as landed a few feet away, "Don't sweat it- once I help you shove all this into bags, you'll have no choice but to help me rake mine."

 

"Um," Oliver stutter as he stood board stiff, unsure of what to do as Connor crossed his lawn as if he'd been there times before and grabbed the rake from where he'd left it, "At this point, do I have a choice?"

 

Connor flashed a suggestive smile as he started towards the pile, staring over at his awestruck neighbor, "Do you want one?"

**Author's Note:**

> thank you to illyabucky.tumblr.com for the idea!!


End file.
